As the United States rapidly depletes its interceptor missile stockpile in the conflict with Iran—heightening strategic risks globally—laser weapons have dominated the headlines.
As an Afghan veteran who spent years in war zones, I can say technology alone never wins wars. Lasers, missiles, or drones — the real cost is always paid by soldiers and civilians on the ground, what I seen in The ground in Afghanistan.
Iran will be like Vietnam in its resolve. The US dropped more bombs on Vietnam than they did in all of WW2, but Vietnam persevered and won. From opposition to the war at home to the extraordinary expense in lives and treasure, there will be too much pressure on the US admin to go on indefinitely. And Iran knows this.
No answer AVV? You portray yourself as someone who served in the ranks of the US military but your your name does not say you are were US military. For whom do you speak? You eat up "thank you for your service" posts but who you serve, why, and how?
You're still are dodging the question. You are not wearing a US uniform in your photo. If you served in Afghanistan, maybe for the Afghan military, maybe for none, then you might be a veteran of the Afghan war, but not in the sense that is commonly understood to mean US service members who served in that war. If you are USA, why not be honest? US veterans are not people who served "shoulder-to-shoulder" near US veterans. They are US veterans. Period.
I have been in the same room as many rock stars. They were on the stage performing and I was in the seat my ticket let me license. We were "shoulder-to-shoulder" but for a few rows of people and certainly we were in the same room. Not the same thing as performing in their band. Why do you falsely portray yourself as a former member of the US military? Sympathy? A need for attention? Why mislead? It does not matter who stood next to you if you are cosplaying as a US vet. We have enough deception. Be honest with us.
Still no answer? Are you pretending to be something/someone are not to fool all of us?
It certainly seems you are not a US Combat Veteran and if not, then how dare you do this?
U.S. Armed Services Afghan veteran or war veteran because you lived in Afghanistan?
No answer AVV? You portray yourself as someone who served in the ranks of the US military but your your name does not say you are were US military. For whom do you speak? You eat up "thank you for your service" posts but who you serve, why, and how?
“I didn’t know that I had been so angry and offensive to Mary” This lack of knowledge is related to the inability of the person to look inward at their actions particularly in the moment…a quality called introspection There are varying degrees of an individual’s introspective ability Some quite adept others not so much
Rachel Maddow has been known for her unique reporting style because she uses historical perspectives many times to help her audience see what is happening in the present day In a presentation(https://bit.ly/4rtJV5y) at UBC(University of British Columbia) she was asked during a Q&A why she uses this approach and her answer was revealing
She related that Americans tend to be arrogant and in my summation collectively lack introspection And in using her historical approach she gets her audience to rise above the current day experience, and in looking into the past see the present day by seeing the past experiences we have had in America
In her Prequel podcast series(https://bit.ly/4bpzEkC) she exposes the 1930’s American Nazi movement and allows the listener to make the translation to what is happening now Similarly she exposes the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII in a podcast series Burn Order showing the federal government’s illegal detainment of American citizens in concentration camps leading the listener to seeing what is happening now History doesn’t repeat itself but it certainly rhymes
We have a complete juvenile in office that thinks talking about our laser power and anything else he can sell bulkshit and now again lose of life that he actually brags about .he has effed up every aspect of our beliefs because hes playing toy soldier and looking for credit for anything and just has no value for american life or our constitution .our own reps ,generals that can stop him and his cabinet are completely complacent and to passive so its time for an uprising with what ever it takes to stop this madness .our troops dont belong serving him and this whole sceaming cabinet needs to be dealt with.it appears our reps and generals are willing to loose their own families and put the whole damn country at risk trump did all of this on purpose because he doesn't want to go to jail for being a felon and murderer .
Cankles McTacotits does not care abou lazers......he sees them as more narcissitic distratcion.....another great way to deflect from the Epstein files and news of raping another 13 year old girl. That will keep the MAGA death cult hooked on Faux News for another 48 hours at least.
I volunteered for the draft in 1968, also volunteered to be one of a group of 8 who would be trained as a combat medic for 82nd Airborne, six weeks (on stateside it was 5-6 months). Stationed at Phu Loi in middle of Mekong Delta & Iron Triangle, I was there during the height of the war 1968-70. I take 17 medications 💊 a day from agent orange exposure and wear prosthetic braces to walk. I am writing a memoir- My Vietnam 1968-70- hopefully to a publisher mid-summer.
We were 'boy soldiers' all between 18-22. A whole generation lost. In today's environment, many Americans have not honored those who served in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I live everyday one step at a time and savor living in the moment. David Carden, jr.
Thank you for your service . I was a '69 high school graduate and many of my male friends lost their lives over there. I spent the summer of '68 at Kennedy hospital (in Memphis)many days as my dad was there with what they found on autopsy a malignant brain tumor. He had been shot in the back in Germany in WW II and was aparaplegic. I saw many nam soldiers there on the spinal cord injury floor where my dad was the whole summer until he passed. They were scared and just 18-19 y/o many of them. This is a repeat of a useless war and there will be many lives lost for nothing but someone trying to avoid jail...
I’m so thankful for your sacrifice for our country. You are of my generation and I feel the lingering effects and losses our soldiers went through. Glad you made it back…a warrior. My brother was drafted during Nam but never saw combat. I still feel the heartache that I felt when our troops returned from Nam. It was simply awful and wrong. Lost so many. There are many of us boomers still around who have pain in their hearts from those days. Bless you. I’m grateful for your critical service. I send love and care for you and the many who did not return. Wish your life could be easier. You deserve more than our government has given our war heroes. 🫶🏼🇺🇸🗽☮️
The future is here. Of course, a new weapon at their disposal. Man is so ingenious in discovering new ways to kill each other. The war hawks are delighted!
I think a lot more should have been said about the cruelty and totally unjust and unnecessary war on Iran and other places. We can be fascinated with the technology (I couldn't follow the conversation in some ways, and I haven't seen all the science fiction movies referenced), but we must always remember the human cost of the insane battlefield ambitions of our demented and benighted President. Our first concern must be whether or not we should be attacking anyone at all. The Ukrainians deserve defense, I agree. We should be getting the hell out of Iran and all the other Middle Eastern countries, and must not be allied with genocidal Israel. Period, end stop.
Another point I need to make is that both speakers were horrified that a border patrol drone had been mistakenly downed. I'm horrified that we're using border patrol drones in the first place. Immigrants have been horribly attacked, seized, violently knocked to the ground, tortured, imprisoned under awful and inhumane conditions, even shot, without any concern about their past or their real reasons for coming here. The vast majority of them are NOT criminals at all, but they're being treated that way. It is ruthless and unethical. I wish we didn't have any border patrol drones at all. Another point I always want to make is the fact that our meddling in other countries , unseating good leaders and replacing them with thugs who will cater to the wishes of large US profit-seeking corporations, and training death squads, is often the reason people flee their homelands and come here in the first place. We have no grounds for self-righteousness at all.
Glad you appreciated it, and sorry for babbling so much -- I'm a sci-fi nerd at heart so I get excited talking about the imminent arrival of the future
At the current level, lasering an aircraft down would be hard to do. The laser could blind the crew like idiots with laser pointers do, but do far worse eye damage. In the case of a laser powerful enough to damage an aircraft, the blindness would be permanent.
Laser weapons have a long way to go before they're like Star Wars, if they can even get there.
While bringing down an aircraft would take a steady stream of high energy over a long period of time it has been shown to work and the laser could be used as a disorienting practice rather than disabling.
"Trump does horrible things every day. But on domestic issues, he’s largely representing the Republicans who voted for him. On foreign policy though, his decisions speak for America to the world. And the message that he and therefore we are delivering is that the United States has massive power and horrible judgment. We can and will kill any country’s leader on our whims. We can and will bomb a country so aggressively, without any real rationale, that we will accidentally kill 150 girls attending school. This war is a permanent moral stain on the United States.
Thanks for having me, Joe!
As an Afghan veteran who spent years in war zones, I can say technology alone never wins wars. Lasers, missiles, or drones — the real cost is always paid by soldiers and civilians on the ground, what I seen in The ground in Afghanistan.
So, so true.
Ain't that the truth
Iran will be like Vietnam in its resolve. The US dropped more bombs on Vietnam than they did in all of WW2, but Vietnam persevered and won. From opposition to the war at home to the extraordinary expense in lives and treasure, there will be too much pressure on the US admin to go on indefinitely. And Iran knows this.
U.S. Armed Services Afghan veteran or war veteran because you lived in Afghanistan?
No answer AVV? You portray yourself as someone who served in the ranks of the US military but your your name does not say you are were US military. For whom do you speak? You eat up "thank you for your service" posts but who you serve, why, and how?
I am an Afghan veteran who served shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan
You're still are dodging the question. You are not wearing a US uniform in your photo. If you served in Afghanistan, maybe for the Afghan military, maybe for none, then you might be a veteran of the Afghan war, but not in the sense that is commonly understood to mean US service members who served in that war. If you are USA, why not be honest? US veterans are not people who served "shoulder-to-shoulder" near US veterans. They are US veterans. Period.
I have been in the same room as many rock stars. They were on the stage performing and I was in the seat my ticket let me license. We were "shoulder-to-shoulder" but for a few rows of people and certainly we were in the same room. Not the same thing as performing in their band. Why do you falsely portray yourself as a former member of the US military? Sympathy? A need for attention? Why mislead? It does not matter who stood next to you if you are cosplaying as a US vet. We have enough deception. Be honest with us.
Thank you for your service!
Still no answer? Are you pretending to be something/someone are not to fool all of us?
It certainly seems you are not a US Combat Veteran and if not, then how dare you do this?
U.S. Armed Services Afghan veteran or war veteran because you lived in Afghanistan?
No answer AVV? You portray yourself as someone who served in the ranks of the US military but your your name does not say you are were US military. For whom do you speak? You eat up "thank you for your service" posts but who you serve, why, and how?
The American Fascist Experience
“I didn’t know that I had been so angry and offensive to Mary” This lack of knowledge is related to the inability of the person to look inward at their actions particularly in the moment…a quality called introspection There are varying degrees of an individual’s introspective ability Some quite adept others not so much
Rachel Maddow has been known for her unique reporting style because she uses historical perspectives many times to help her audience see what is happening in the present day In a presentation(https://bit.ly/4rtJV5y) at UBC(University of British Columbia) she was asked during a Q&A why she uses this approach and her answer was revealing
She related that Americans tend to be arrogant and in my summation collectively lack introspection And in using her historical approach she gets her audience to rise above the current day experience, and in looking into the past see the present day by seeing the past experiences we have had in America
In her Prequel podcast series(https://bit.ly/4bpzEkC) she exposes the 1930’s American Nazi movement and allows the listener to make the translation to what is happening now Similarly she exposes the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII in a podcast series Burn Order showing the federal government’s illegal detainment of American citizens in concentration camps leading the listener to seeing what is happening now History doesn’t repeat itself but it certainly rhymes
Burn Order is 6 hours and absolutely essential to hear. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rachel-maddow-presents-burn-order/id1854194292
We have a complete juvenile in office that thinks talking about our laser power and anything else he can sell bulkshit and now again lose of life that he actually brags about .he has effed up every aspect of our beliefs because hes playing toy soldier and looking for credit for anything and just has no value for american life or our constitution .our own reps ,generals that can stop him and his cabinet are completely complacent and to passive so its time for an uprising with what ever it takes to stop this madness .our troops dont belong serving him and this whole sceaming cabinet needs to be dealt with.it appears our reps and generals are willing to loose their own families and put the whole damn country at risk trump did all of this on purpose because he doesn't want to go to jail for being a felon and murderer .
Cankles McTacotits does not care abou lazers......he sees them as more narcissitic distratcion.....another great way to deflect from the Epstein files and news of raping another 13 year old girl. That will keep the MAGA death cult hooked on Faux News for another 48 hours at least.
I volunteered for the draft in 1968, also volunteered to be one of a group of 8 who would be trained as a combat medic for 82nd Airborne, six weeks (on stateside it was 5-6 months). Stationed at Phu Loi in middle of Mekong Delta & Iron Triangle, I was there during the height of the war 1968-70. I take 17 medications 💊 a day from agent orange exposure and wear prosthetic braces to walk. I am writing a memoir- My Vietnam 1968-70- hopefully to a publisher mid-summer.
We were 'boy soldiers' all between 18-22. A whole generation lost. In today's environment, many Americans have not honored those who served in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I live everyday one step at a time and savor living in the moment. David Carden, jr.
Thank you for your service . I was a '69 high school graduate and many of my male friends lost their lives over there. I spent the summer of '68 at Kennedy hospital (in Memphis)many days as my dad was there with what they found on autopsy a malignant brain tumor. He had been shot in the back in Germany in WW II and was aparaplegic. I saw many nam soldiers there on the spinal cord injury floor where my dad was the whole summer until he passed. They were scared and just 18-19 y/o many of them. This is a repeat of a useless war and there will be many lives lost for nothing but someone trying to avoid jail...
I’m so thankful for your sacrifice for our country. You are of my generation and I feel the lingering effects and losses our soldiers went through. Glad you made it back…a warrior. My brother was drafted during Nam but never saw combat. I still feel the heartache that I felt when our troops returned from Nam. It was simply awful and wrong. Lost so many. There are many of us boomers still around who have pain in their hearts from those days. Bless you. I’m grateful for your critical service. I send love and care for you and the many who did not return. Wish your life could be easier. You deserve more than our government has given our war heroes. 🫶🏼🇺🇸🗽☮️
Excellent article. I enjoyed reading it. Very informative on the general limitations of the CW laser.
Thank you!
Your welcome
The future is here. Of course, a new weapon at their disposal. Man is so ingenious in discovering new ways to kill each other. The war hawks are delighted!
I think a lot more should have been said about the cruelty and totally unjust and unnecessary war on Iran and other places. We can be fascinated with the technology (I couldn't follow the conversation in some ways, and I haven't seen all the science fiction movies referenced), but we must always remember the human cost of the insane battlefield ambitions of our demented and benighted President. Our first concern must be whether or not we should be attacking anyone at all. The Ukrainians deserve defense, I agree. We should be getting the hell out of Iran and all the other Middle Eastern countries, and must not be allied with genocidal Israel. Period, end stop.
Another point I need to make is that both speakers were horrified that a border patrol drone had been mistakenly downed. I'm horrified that we're using border patrol drones in the first place. Immigrants have been horribly attacked, seized, violently knocked to the ground, tortured, imprisoned under awful and inhumane conditions, even shot, without any concern about their past or their real reasons for coming here. The vast majority of them are NOT criminals at all, but they're being treated that way. It is ruthless and unethical. I wish we didn't have any border patrol drones at all. Another point I always want to make is the fact that our meddling in other countries , unseating good leaders and replacing them with thugs who will cater to the wishes of large US profit-seeking corporations, and training death squads, is often the reason people flee their homelands and come here in the first place. We have no grounds for self-righteousness at all.
Mind blowing info, I had no clue. Thank you for enlightening me!
Thanks for this information about something I knew nothing about and for presenting it in a manner that I can (sort of) understand!
Glad you appreciated it, and sorry for babbling so much -- I'm a sci-fi nerd at heart so I get excited talking about the imminent arrival of the future
I’m very grateful for the fact that there are some untainted sources upon which I can rely for important information. Thank you.
the future of this is
a) cheaper wars will lower thresholds
b) new weapons that will primarily be perfect to deploy against civilians, including own population
What was not addressed was the use of lasers against piloted planes. And in this case could be used effectively but still one on one.
At the current level, lasering an aircraft down would be hard to do. The laser could blind the crew like idiots with laser pointers do, but do far worse eye damage. In the case of a laser powerful enough to damage an aircraft, the blindness would be permanent.
Laser weapons have a long way to go before they're like Star Wars, if they can even get there.
Robot Bender nailed it: shooting down a plane with a laser is not a major possibility at the moment
While bringing down an aircraft would take a steady stream of high energy over a long period of time it has been shown to work and the laser could be used as a disorienting practice rather than disabling.
💙💙💙
Humanity is doomed.
"Trump does horrible things every day. But on domestic issues, he’s largely representing the Republicans who voted for him. On foreign policy though, his decisions speak for America to the world. And the message that he and therefore we are delivering is that the United States has massive power and horrible judgment. We can and will kill any country’s leader on our whims. We can and will bomb a country so aggressively, without any real rationale, that we will accidentally kill 150 girls attending school. This war is a permanent moral stain on the United States.
Source: The New Republic; 11-Mar-26 https://tinyurl.com/38w7b5y2
Republicans Suck!